STILIYAN Petrov has called on Villa to show more fighting spirit as they head towards their Carling Cup showdown at Leicester on the back of three successive 1-1 draws.

STILIYAN Petrov has called on Villa to show more fighting spirit as they head towards their Carling Cup showdown at Leicester on the back of three successive 1-1 draws.

Petrov labelled Villa's performance against Fulham as "sloppy" but says the team will be going all out at The Walker's Stadium to put a smile back on the supporters' faces.

The Bulgarian, who has now failed to score in seven matches, said: "We were a little bit sloppy, we didn't close Fulham down quick enough.

"We had our chances but we couldn't take them. We are still unbeaten but I think we need to be more aggressive and we need to get more points.

"It is good that we haven't lost games but we need to start winning games again. I am happy but it is not about me or anyone else, it is about how we perform as a team.

"We have had some great team performances so far and we take everything together. We know we still have to work hard to improve things."

Leicester, likewise, drew 1-1 at home to Crystal Palace at the weekend, and Villa can expect a full house as the Foxes welcome Martin O'Neill back after a six-year absence.

Petrov said: "We are expecting a hard game tomorrow but it is important for us to get back to that winning mentality. We still have confidence and everyone is looking forward to playing this match.

"Because we didn't win on Saturday, you want the next game to come as soon as possible."

Villa will be backed by a bumper away support of 4,200 fans.

Petrov added: "It's great when all the fans start following you again. We will try to make them happy and try to get the best result we can for them to enjoy. This is different from the league but we will fight to win."